A lot of teachers don't teach technique at all really - nothing about forearm rotation, arm weight, shoulder relaxation, etc. It's no wonder there's so many pianists out there who don't progress beyond a certain point, no proper foundation is ever built and it's just a constant battle with every piece.

Thank you so much for the advice for the arpegios!! 🤗 Please include more technique advices in your videos, they are pure gold! Actually I learned from you more than I did from my teacher from music school in 6 years. Thank you!

Over the past several years, I've been focusing almost entirely on improvisation as opposed to repertoire. This is in regards to both guitar and piano, though lately specifically in regards to classical piano, as I haven't really played my guitar in months. Anyway, I do find myself staying in the technical areas of my strengths, and developing my personal style accordingly. At the same time, I'm trying to expand by improvising on weaknesses. For example, though I can play "pinky-middle-thumb-middle" 16th note arpeggios in my right hand wonderfully, it's much more difficult to do "thumb-middle-pinky-middle". That is to say, regardless of arpeggio or scale, my strength is in playing outward-in with my right hand. So I have been dedicating time to improvise inward-out, using rhythmic motifs starting with my thumb instead of my pinky. So that's my personal example of trying to expand my comfort zone by developing weaknesses.

Wow, this video made my day. I've been working on (and struggling with) broken arpeggios in another piece. As soon as I implemented your grouping/release technique I felt a noticeable difference in comfort and speed. I'm already a subscriber on improv planet and will be checking out more of these videos now too!

Great video as always Doctor! The super cool thing about focusing on these technical challenges is that we can then bring them into improvised music, creating new possibilities.

What a great lesson today... thank you!! My pandemictivity is to finish a piece that I started in October! It’s a slow and painful slog, but I am determined!! I’m hoping to finish this during my lockdown. I am so happy to have come across your videos. They are wholly uplifting, so insightful and effective. Thank you!!🌺😊🎶

Perfect timing. I find your video while I just started to practice the 3rd movement of Beethoven’s moonlight sonata. And you just talk about it here. I love your approach! That feels very natural and organic. Thank you so much 😊

Great video. I'm an originally classically trained jazz pianist and enjoy seeing that you're teaching classical improvisation! Also enjoyed your mentioning of Monk and Keith - both have incredibly odd physical movement to be sure, but still make great music. Keith in particular is interesting to me because his sound at the piano is probably my favorite of any pianist ever, but a lot of the time he's halfway under the piano!

I've decided to focus on some of the difficult passages in Joaquin Rodrigo's Invocacion y Danza, you're right that it's a great way of getting a different perspective on how your technique can function!

Agree entirely, I'm on long trills and akward thirds. Thanks for the video and message.

Pandemictivities: 1. Bach WTC1 no. 4 2. Brahms Rhapsody No. 1 3. Schumann Sonata in g minor 4. Rachmaninow Elegie in eb minor

Thank you so much for these videos! I will apply as much of what you said as I can. As a little piece I want to learn in this time is the piano transcription of Farandole from Bizet. It is awesome. Katsaris has a recording of it on KZfaq.

This was a very educational and interesting video!

Working on Chopin A flat Major Ballade right now! Also going through Beethoven d minor Sonata. Thanks for your Motivation in today‘s video! :D

The only place my arm hurts on the Sonata third movement is on the octave tremulos. But I will pay more attention to my groupings and releases. Thank you

Thanks this is great

My pianodemictivity is working through chapter 1 of your book!

So where do I send these 10 boxes of donuts

My pandemactivities are: Bach’s Prelude No.1 in C major (WTC 2) Prelude No.2 in C minor (WTC 2) Chopin Valse Brilliante Sight-reading various preludes and fugues from WTC 1-2

Thanks for your insightful and interesting videos. Would you recommend a similar approach in the arpeggiated passages in the Bach 2-part Invention #14 in Bb Major? It appears that if you are playing slower, then the “holding” on to a note on finger 5 (or 4) until the thumb reaches its note would be appropriate but the faster you play, then the letting go becomes more important.

Great and insightful, as always. I'd like to inquire about the small "spaces" or "gaps" you are putting in between phrases in the slow practice of the opening Rachmaninoff Prelude in this video. I noticed you do a similar thing in your practice demonstrations of Chopin 10/1. My hunch is this is a kind of mechanism to avoid rushing/scrambling in the final product, but am curious!

My pandemictivity is Bach-Busoni's Chaconne

I'm currently working on Bach's prelude and fugue in B flat major (WTC 1), Haydn's sonata in E minor (Hob XVI: 34), Rachmaninoff's prelude in G minor and Ravel's À la manière de Borodine. I'm having some trouble with the Alberti Bass in the third movement of Haydn, though... I'd be greatful if you have any advice for playing Alberti Bass. Also, I finally started practicing sight reading and scales.

Can u make a video on double third scales?

True

Some parts of the art of the fugue.

I'm a pianist & had a fall that injured the little finger so badly that therapy was used for 2 mo. Before the quarantine...but since then I work with clay, try scales, Italia concerto, arpeggios, etc. It really hurts because of scar tissue. Any ideas? The hand surgeon said there is too much scar tissue and arthritis. I'm on face book. Ido wear a cast at night and a "torture machine" during the day.

Mine is Mendelssohn’s Rondo Capriccioso. The octave passage in the end kills me. Can you do a video about octaves please? How to ensure speed and accuracy within small/large jumps..

Have you listened to Jarrett’s recording of the Shostakovich Preludes? If so, do you also think that he was out of his element there? Another pianist who has made serious forays into both jazz and the classical repertoire is Friedrich Gulda. His Mozart Sonata recordings, which showcase his talent for ornamental improvisation, were a revelation to me. Anyhow, thanks for your thoughtful, entertaining videos!

What piece did he play at the beginning? I’d really appreciate an answer :3

What's the rachmaninoff piece you played at the end ? Thank you for this video.. always very valuable information !!

Professor, where can I find that quote from CS Lewis?

Is there something like a "reset button" for learning something wrong?

The ultimate piano challenge: Alkan’s op.76 no.3 ..terribly difficult BUT musically soooooo REWARDING Oh wait you’re not allowed to play Alkan for he’s not part of the standard repertoire. ☹️

6:15

Newton invented calculus and physics during a quarantine so what should we be capable of?!

Would your comments on Keith Jarret‘s playing imply that his recordings of Bach, Shostakovich, Händel and others are genuinely flawed as compared to other famous more „reproduction“ oriented pianists?

Kieth Jarret's "Physical Awkwardness" LOL To Say The Least!!! I can listen to him, but I just can't watch the man play. I'm using this downtime to really learn pieces I pretended to learn in college. Thanks for these videos man, really giving some high level game